Student Film Reviews

Film reviews from theaters, couches, and film festivals

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1. Hilary Young 03.15.10 / 3pm

   After hearing about the documentary The Cove, I felt it was a ‘must-see’ film. Not only is the documentary heartbreaking and bone chilling, it gives you a cruel reality of what is happening to Dolphin’s in Japan. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I began watching the film. I was completely horrified knowing that such a beautiful creature was being slaughtered for misleading reasons and for cruel purposes. It was horrifying knowing that this is actually taking place in Japan. I was happy, however, to hear that filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and dolphin advocate Ric O’Barry’s film The Cove has had a huge positive impact, and has been able to put out awareness to people to stop this tragedy. Which it has. The documentary also won an Oscar for best Documentary Film.
2. Kyle Hirsch 03.17.10 / 12am

   This film ” The Cove” honestly opened my eyes in a good way. My friend brought it up in conversation, and I thought to myself this is a must see documentary. First off I am not sensitive nor really get sad after watching a movie, but after watching this movie and seeing how these people had no remorse what so ever for the actions they were doing. I mean seriously who kills dolphins? They are literally the nicest animals. This documentary I believe was one of the better ones I have seen, it was helping raise awareness on the events occurring in Japan. Going past the horrible cruelty of this animal I am glad that this documentary was made. Now we as people can help protect these species. Definitely a must see documentary!! Go see it!
3. Blake Humann 09.21.10 / 9am

   I considered “The Cove” documentary incredible after seeing it last spring when reporting on dolphins and their murder in Japan. The documentary seems to get the attention of anyone who turns it on. The Japanese man in Taiji were so incredibly ruthless when they were trapping and slaughtering dolphins. The horrid scenes and pictures that were taken there of the ocean died red. I couldn’t even believe that the ocean could be turned that red. Additionally, dolphins aren’t even nutritionally good for the consumer with high contents of mercury inside of the dolphin meat. Ric O’ Barry is obviously a great guy for the job. He knows his boundaries and knows that he can only do so much. He cannot assault the fishermen like many other animal rights activists wish to because then he cannot ever return to Taiji again. His best way to stop this cruel slaughtering of these amazing mammals is to expose what is going on to the countries own people. This is exactly what he does while he stands in the middle of a busy intersection with a television as he exposes the tragedy to thousands of japanese men, women and children. This is a documentary that you must see!
4. Shelby Harvey 10.25.10 / 12pm

   The Cove is such an emotional yet informative documentary that really gives you an inside look at what secretly is happening to the dolphins in Japan. I agree with this review that this documentary is easily the best one that I have ever seen. Not only is the documentary extremely heartbreaking and emotionally for the viewer, but I also loved how it was intense and exciting during the late night trips they would take to plan their cameras and sound devices while trying not to get caught. By the end of this film your emotions are all over the place because you feel good for them since they were able to capture their footage without getting caught, yet what you see is so terrible you only want to find a way to help.
5. Sanni Frostenson 11.06.10 / 7pm

   From the first moment this documentary truly engaged me and raised an issue within myself—after seeing The Cove I will definitely think twice before including captured marine animals in my personal entertainment. This film contains a very direct and obvious message to the audience, presented by informing us of how dolphins don’t thrive in captivity, and how the slaughter industry only continues because the fishermen earn huge sums of money for selling female dolphins to be tamed and trained in facilities like Sea World around the globe. The Cove very much strikes a chord with the documentary Sharkwater by Rob Stewart, except that dolphins are easier to empathize with than sharks. But more comparable is the fact that the public is unaware about what’s happening in the countries where the slaughters take place, and that the governments corroborate the cover-ups because of the huge profits made possible by these dreadful policies. While The Cove shows us how our demand for dolphins contributes to their misery and death, I think it’s really important to remember that the fishermen who do these unbelievable things are raised in a culture totally different from ours—and that they are told by their government that they are doing a good thing when they kill dolphins, because dolphins cause the seas to be outfished. Clearly that can’t be the main cause, as Tokyo has the world’s largest fish market. So, the key to getting rid of these unethical killings is to educate the locals, which this documentary has contributed to. Sadly the killings at Taiji have started again this year, and while this affirms that there is always more to be done, a good way to start is to watch this documentary.
6. Xanika Covington 11.08.10 / 11pm

   “The Cove” is a crucial film that successfully highlights the severity of dolphin slaughtering on a global scale and provokes the audience to take action after viewing the film. It follows the “Three C’s” of documentary by being credible, compelling, and convincing. The film establishes credibility by interviewing spokespersons and CEO’s of world-wide organizations that are dedicated to ending the dolphin commodity industry. The film is obviously very compelling in its structure– taking the audience on a suspenseful journey with Richard O’Barry and his team to uncover the truth hiding in Taiji, Japan. “The Cove” convinces us that not only is dolphin slaughtering wrong, but that we can do something to stop it. The end of the documentary guides the audience to a site where they are able to sign a petition as a form of protest against the brutal slaughtering. “The Cove” is an extraordinary film with a timely message and I highly recommend it to animal-activists and film students alike.
7. Tim Lopez 11.17.10 / 8pm

   The Cove is as unrestrained as it is emotional. Filmmaker and dolphin specialist Ric O’Barry does an excellent job of bringing to light a very serious situation. Barry, who once trained the infamous dolphin Flipper, takes his love for dolphins to Taiji, Japan where the beautiful mammals are slaughtered in large numbers every September. O’Barry’s footage is not just a documentary but also a cry for help. The film is incredibly compelling. It is sad that something this cruel can still exist in a world so advanced. The Cove not only shows its audience an ongoing issue first hand but encourages viewers to help stop the dolphin killing in Taiji. By the film’s end it is hard not to be affected by the dolphin blood spilt and the ignorance of those involved. It is films like The Cove that encourage positive change in the world that deserve recognition. It comes as no surprise that the film has been critically acclaimed and it is very deserving of its 2010 Academy Award for Best Documentary. After watching The Cove, one has to wonder how the killings have not been stopped.
8. L. Mesa 03.20.14 / 11pm

   The documentary film “The Cove” was made to invite and inspire social activism. It is clearly a political film that lays out a case against the Japanese government and the Japanese fishing industry. The filmmaker is skilled at using music, hand held footage and editing to build tension, thus heightening the drama. While more traditional documentary techniques are used, such as sit down interviews and stock footage, it is the footage of the documentary crew trespassing in the cove that gives the film its edge. Overall, I appreciated the filmmaker’s skillful directing. He understood that to make a significant difference he would have to make a film that appealed to not just animal lovers or environmentalists, but also audiences who were ignorant about dolphin slaughtering. My only issue with the film is that I feel that in an effort to make a point about dolphins the filmmaker painted most of the Japanese people as heartless thugs. An example of this is when he shows footage of the men in charge of protecting the cove. These men are most likely working class people paid to do a job. They are not the owners of big fishing companies, who are the real villains.
9. Amy Li 06.05.21 / 11pm

   After watching The Cove, it definitely influenced me a lot about what dolphins and whales are really going through. It has also caused me to decide to not step into aquariums due to how they were treated. Even if I am unable to stop this action of then, I believe I am able to stop myself from supporting this field. If less people enter into the water worlds and aquariums it might cause them to approach for less. Before seeing this film, dolphins who perform at sea world parks seem very free and well treated. But after finishing this film, it was very difficult for me to believe what kind of torture and pain they are going through. It struck me hard when a little dolphin tried to swim over the borderline of the net but slowly sinked below the horizon. He was calling for help towards human, it definitely gave me the thought that he still had trust in humans.

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